Bhutan’s hope is still alive at the Asian U-19 and U-22 Boxing Championships in Bangkok, as 19-year-old Dechen Dorji punches his way into the semi-finals today. Meanwhile, five other Bhutanese boxers have bowed out after giving their all in the ring. The championship features nearly 400 of the continent’s top young fighters, and continues through next Monday.
In a closely contested quarterfinal bout this afternoon, Dechen Dorji secured a split-decision victory over his opponent from Chinese Taipei. Dechen had received a bye in the opening round and made the most of his opportunity in the quarterfinals.
Dechen is now set to face a tough challenge in the semi-finals on Wednesday, where he will go up against a boxer from Kazakhstan. There are 14 contenders in the men’s U-22 lightweight 60 kilogram category.
Meanwhile, Bhutan’s youngest competitor, 18-year-old Jampel Chedup, was eliminated yesterday following a narrow split-decision loss to his Mongolian opponent.
He competed in the U-19 bantamweight 55-kilogram division, which featured 17 boxers.
In the U-22 flyweight 50 kilogram category, 20-year-old Kinley Phuntsho exited the competition this morning after a tightly contested quarterfinal against a boxer from Nepal.
A total of 13 athletes are contesting in the 65 kilogram division.
Later in the evening, 21-year-old Kinley was eliminated from the competition in the quarterfinals of the men’s U-22 welterweight 65 kilogram category. The referee disqualified Kinley in the third round, awarding the win to his opponent from the Philippines.
13 boxers are competing in this weight division.
With this, five of Bhutan’s six boxers have now exited the championship. Although their journeys were cut short, all fighters showed grit and determination, going toe-to-toe with some of the best emerging talents from across Asia.
The 11-day championship, which began last Friday, features close to 400 boxers from over 25 countries, competing across 48 to 85 kilogram weight categories. The event is being held at the Indoor Stadium Huamark and will conclude next week.
For Bhutan, the spotlight now shifts to Dechen Dorji, whose semi-final bout presents an opportunity to bring home a historic medal, an achievement that would mark a major milestone for Bhutanese boxing on the continental stage.
Karma Wangdi
Edited by Sonam Pem
